Mistake Master
Mistake Master · AP Physics 1 · Unit 2 · Step-Through Animation
The Turn Is the Acceleration
You'll learnwhy a steady circular speed still means acceleration, and which real force points inward.
A car circles at a steady 10 m/s and the speedometer never twitches — yet it accelerates the whole way around. Watch the velocity arrow turn, find where the acceleration must point, and then name the real force doing the job.
TOP-DOWN VIEW
Before you start
What you're looking at
A top-down view of a 1000 kg car rounding a circular curve of radius 50 m at a constant 10 m/s.
The question
Is the car accelerating, how much force does the turn demand, and which real force supplies it?
Watch for
Watch the velocity arrow keep its length but turn constantly; that turning is the acceleration.
What the symbols mean
The dashed line is the radius; the blue arrow is velocity at full speed, even while the speedometer holds steady.
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